Boston @ Texas preview
Choctaw Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jul 18, 2010 ) Texas 4, Boston 2
After absorbing crushing defeats, the heat is on the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers.
Both teams will look to bounce back when they meet in the opener of a three-game series on Friday night in Arlington, Texas.
With temperatures expected to be above 100 for the entire weekend, the Red Sox may be feeling added pressure after falling six games behind the front-running New York Yankees in the American League East and four behind Tampa Bay in the wild-card chase.
Boston will send Josh Beckett to the mound tonight in the hopes that he can blot out the memory of his last outing as well as erase the memory of Thursday's ghastly 6-5 loss in Toronto.
Beckett (3-2) was pounded for seven runs on 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings of a 7-2 loss to the Yankees last Sunday - his third defeat at the hands of New York this season.
The 30-year-old right-hander will be making his fifth start since spending more than two months on the disabled list with a strained back. He had won his previous two outings, allowing four runs on eight hits in 15 innings.
Beckett (3-2) is 2-2 in six career starts vs. Texas, but he was roughed up earlier in the season by the Rangers, surrendering seven runs on seven hits in seven innings of an 8-7 Boston victory.
The Red Sox have received stellar back-to-back starts from Clay Buchholz and John Lackey, but the latter went for naught when closer Jonathan Papelbon endured his sixth blown save of the season Thursday as Toronto rallied for four runs in the ninth in a 6-5 victory.
The Rangers know what that feels like. Ace left-hander Cliff Lee went 6 1/3 strong innings Wednesday night against the Yankees, only to see the bullpen cough up a five-run lead and closer Neftali Perez give up two runs in the ninth for his third blown save.
Given that Texas maintains a 7 1/2-game lead in the American League West, the defeat was more jarring to its collective psyche, especially since the Yankees loom as a potential opponent in the postseason.
Tommy Hunter (9-1) goes for his 10th victory of the season tonight. He bounced back from a rocky outing with 6 1/3 scoreless innings against Seattle last time out.
The 24-year-old right-hander has faced the Red Sox just once in his career, holding Boston to two runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings of a 7-2 Rangers victory on July 15 at Fenway Park. Hunter is 6-0 in seven starts at home this season.
Boston’s offense was clicking against the Blue Jays, amassing eight home runs and 22 runs in the three-game series.